Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael “MJ ”Jackson.
MJ.. can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Well, originally I’m from the very small town of Marianna, Arkansas. My father was a local club DJ in my hometown, and it was because of him I gained interest in the music business.
During my teenage years, I had huge aspirations of becoming a famous rapper. Looking back on it, I wasn’t as great as I thought I was, but at the time you couldn’t tell me that I wasn’t going to be the next Kanye West lol. When my rap career didn’t work out, I decided to focus more on the behind the scenes aspect of music. Being from a small town, there weren’t a lot of opportunities for me to get hands-on experience of working in the music business. Therefore, I had to be creative and figure out ways to get the necessary experience. One of those experiences came from my senior year in High School, when I was selected to attend the Recording Academy’s Grammy Camp in Los Angeles. It was the second time I had ever been outside of Arkansas on my own, and it was during that trip that I had faith that I could accomplish my dreams.
After graduating from High School, I attended the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and started to intern at various local radio stations in the city. During my last year of undergrad, I landed my first major internship at iHeartMedia in the Promotions Department. While interning, I got a chance to meet a Promo Rep from Atlantic Records who gave me many words of encouragement on accomplishing my dreams. I took her advice to heart, and after I graduated college I decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue my dreams.
After moving to LA, I enrolled in Graduate School at California State University in Northridge and majored in Music Industry Administration. While in Graduate School, I got the opportunity of a lifetime when I landed my internship at Atlantic Records. During my internship, I got the opportunity to work on various projects for artists such as Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, and Omarion. When my internship ended, I landed my first job in the music industry working in the mailroom at the Recording Academy (GRAMMYS). Yup, I was the guy walking around the building with my headphones on dropping off packages to all of the major executives. After working in the mailroom for about 6 months, I landed my dream job at Def Jam Recordings where I currently serve as the West Coast Promotions Coordinator.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Yes, there were definitely struggles along the way. First off, my upbringing was very rough. Poverty was the norm, there was a huge lack of resources, and on top of that, I had to deal with a recurrence of family losses. At the age of 2, my mother passed away from an unknown illness which led to me being raised by my father and grandmother. At the age of 22, when I first moved to LA, both my father and grandmother passed away in the same week. I had to bury both of them on the same day. Crazy right? While this might sound a little crazy, that experience was the best thing that could have happened to me at that time. The reason I say that is because it gave me the strength to endure every hardship that was going to come my way. From living out of my car and staying in unpleasant motels, to only being able to afford one gallon of gas to get by. When I say I was broke, I mean I didn’t have two dimes to rub together. It became so bad, one time I didn’t even have enough money to wash my clothes. I had to wash my clothes in the bathtub and use hand soap. Yup, the first two years in LA were pure hell, but luckily things turned around for me when I landed my first job at the Recording Academy.
Please tell us about Def Jam Recordings.
As you know, Def Jam Recordings is one of the biggest music labels in the world. It is the home of music superstars like Justin Bieber, Rihanna, and the GOAT, Kanye West. Currently, I work at Def Jam Recordings as the Promotions Coordinator and I handle the day to day operations of the department. Some of my main duties include providing administrative support for two Executive Vice Presidents, managing artists’ promo budgets, and executing lifestyle marketing strategies. The highlight of my career here at Def Jam was working at Kanye West’s Sunday Service events. For those who know me, Kanye is a huge inspiration of mine, and to be a part of a legendary moment in his musical legacy was a dream come true.
While people see the glitz and the glamour of working in the music industry, they don’t see the hard work that goes on behind the scenes. This is not your regular 9-5 where you just clock in and clock out. On a regular day, working 10 to 12 hours is the norm. Before COVID, I was always the first person in the office, and the last person to leave. While I’m still learning and getting better every day, I pride myself on the fact that I am always able to make things happen for my supervisors on the daily. Even though some days are stressful, I wouldn’t trade my experiences for the world. Oh, I almost forgot, I’m aiming to one day be the President/CEO of Def Jam Recordings. (Mic Drop..)
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I wouldn’t change anything. I believe that everything that I have been through has led me to where I am today. All of the obstacles I’ve faced have taught me lessons that you can’t learn anywhere else. I’ve developed a mentality to press on even when I didn’t know-how. If I can persevere through all the ups and downs, I can get through anything. I feel unstoppable now.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @Micjack12
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